Pretend for a moment that the Nintendo DSi was a third larger with bigger LCD screens and a blizzard of new apps, including one that let you read eBooks. Would you consider it an iPad contender?

Neither would I, but you have to admit, it's getting harder to tell Nintendo and Apple apart when it comes to projecting where they're plotting to be in a year or three.

In any case, you can stop pretending: The DSi XL, which Nintendo released as the DSi LL in Japan last November, will debut in the US on March 28 for $190, just 20 bucks more than the standard-issue version released last April. According to Nintendo, the screens will be 93 percent bigger, too, though the display resolution of 256 x 192 per LCD won't change.